Real Madrid News
Nacho chooses between Mbappe and Kane for Real Madrid: “If it were up to me”
Speaking to El Chiringuito TV, new Real Madrid captain Nacho Fernandez has claimed that he wishes to see the club sign both Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.
Nacho is now the new Real Madrid skipper following the exit of Karim Benzema. The Frenchman’s departure, coupled with those of Marco Asensio, Eden Hazard, and Mariano Diaz, has reduced the Merengues’ attack to bare-bones.
With only Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo Goes left as the senior attackers, Real Madrid are in the market for reinforcements to the frontline.
There has been a lot of talk about a move for Tottenham superstar and England captain Harry Kane for the upcoming summer.
However, at the same time, there have been reports claiming that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez might not go for the 29-year-old as it might affect his plan to sign Mbappe next year.
Nacho, though, does not see any such issues and wishes to sign Kane this year and move for Mbappe next year. In fact, the 33-year-old veteran went on to add that he would go for the latter’s transfer this summer itself if the decision was up to him.
“Harry Kane would fit in perfectly this summer and Mbappe would come in next summer,” Nacho said.
“Mbappe? If it were up to me, I would bring him this summer,” he added.
Highlighting the need to reinforce the frontline, the Real Madrid skipper claimed: “Important players have left us and we need goals.”
While Nacho might have hopes of seeing Mbappe arrive at the club this summer itself, club president Perez has already confirmed that a move for the French superstar will not take place this year.
In a recent interaction with a fan, the Real Madrid supremo confirmed that he wishes to sign Mbappe, but will not do so this year.
A fan asked Perez: “Florentino, will you sign Mbappé?” In response, Perez said: “Yes. But not this year.”
What now remains to be seen is whether the Real Madrid president does indeed go after Kane’s signing or decides to call off the pursuit of the England captain so that it does not affect ‘Operation Mbappe’ for 2024.
One of the biggest positives for Real Madrid from the last season was the breakthrough of young midfielder Thiago Pitarch.
The 19-year-old La Fabrica prospect had been in the first-team dynamics since pre-season under Xabi Alonso, but finally got his senior debut under Alvaro Arbeloa at the turn of the year.
From that moment on, Pitarch did not look back at all, gaining prominence in the team and even starting important matches ahead of established players like Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos.
However, things have not gone as per plans for the teenager this season as he has yet to play a single minute of first-team football.
January loan no longer ruled out
As such, Diario AS now reports that Pitarch would consider leaving Real Madrid on loan during the January transfer window if his situation does not improve.
The teenage midfielder suffered an injury in pre-season which kept him sidelined for a few weeks, denying him an opportunity to start the season under Jose Mourinho.
By the time he returned, the Portuguese tactician had already identified his preferred hierarchy in midfield, with the likes of Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Aurelien Tchouameni and Camavinga firmly ahead in the pecking order.
A stark difference from his debut season
In his debut season, Pitarch ended with 16 first-team appearances for Real Madrid with two assists to his name.
In contrast, this term, the academy graduate has been called up to the matchday squad for five games by Mourinho this term, but has yet to play a single minute of football.
Given the situation, he used the international break to jump down to Castilla and play close to 250 minutes across three games, during which he also registered an assist.
The situation is far from ideal for a young talent who needs regular minutes to continue his development and build on his impressive breakthrough campaign.
As such, the possibility of a departure on loan in January could be considered, after Pitarch turned down offers in the summer to stay at Real Madrid.
A lot will depend on how things evolve in the next couple of months, but a temporary exit cannot be ruled out.
